Message of Pres. Duterte on the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN

Published on 8 August, 2017 - 15:35

President Duterte on his message on the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN reaffirms the Philippines' commitment to an ASEAN that is proactive. relevant and transformative. He encourages that it is time to make ASEANs decisions count to finally assert, with conviction, its position in the international community.

Full text of Pres. Duterte's message

The Philippines is honored to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on this important milestone year.

As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of our regional association. we pay tribute to all those who laid the foundaﬁons and worked hard toward the attainment of ASEAN’s collective dreams and aspirations.

The entire Filipino nation joins our friends, brothers and sisters in Southeast Asia in reaffirming our commitment to an ASEAN that works for positive change in the lives of our people - an ASEAN that is proactive. relevant and transformative.

With ASEAN standing at the center of the future of the Asia-Paciﬁc region, it is time to make our decisions count. It is time for ASEAN to finally assert, with conviction, its position in the international community.

Let us remember: ASEAN has a compelling narrative of positive change that we can hold up to the world. Our ASEAN way has allowed us to get to where we are now. Our ASEAN way will take us further forward as we strive to fully realize shared goals for our peoples.

As we uphold the time-honored principles of sovereignty, equality, non-interference and the peaceful settlement of disputes, let us renew our ﬁrm resolve to do all we can for an ASEAN that is rules-based, people-centered and people-oriented.

The Philippines will continue to work closely with our ASEAN brothers and sisters to ensure ASEAN’s legacy will be enjoyed by all our peoples in the region as we move onward to the next 50 years as partners for change positively engaging the larger world.